A London schoolboy clung to an icy Alpine rockface for 10 hours after watching his father plunge to his death, French media have reported.
The 15-year-old and his parent were using ropes to descend the treacherous Les Droites peak near Mont Blanc when the tragedy struck on Wednesday.
The unidentified 61-year-old plummeted about 40 metres after a possible failure with his rope equipment, leaving his distressed son to alert the authorities for help. According to LeDauphine.com, the pair were Americans living in London.
Rescue crews including a helicopter were scrambled to rescue the child, who was stranded 3,700m up, shortly after his call at around 9pm only to be delayed by fog.
But miraculously he was found unhurt at 7.30am the following morning suffering from mild hypothermia, said France 3 Alpes. His father's body was recovered shortly afterwards.
The 4,000m-high Les Droites peak is one of the lowest in the Mont Blanc mountain range in the French Alps.
In 1999, two British climbers were caught in a storm as they climbed its north face. Jamie Andrew and Jamie Fisher spent several nights trapped by snow, freezing temperatures and winds in excess of 90mph.
Fisher died from hypothermia a night before the pair were rescued, but Andrew survived the experience with severe frostbite.
